


What A Wonderful World

by alistoney



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Falling In Love, Fluff, Human Alec, M/M, Meman! Magnus, mermaid fic, royal! Magnus, small town
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-04
Updated: 2019-06-04
Packaged: 2020-04-07 23:38:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19095337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alistoney/pseuds/alistoney
Summary: “Magnus Bane, merman and Prince of the Sea. Nice to meet you.”Alec raised an eyebrow and let out a breath that sounded like a laugh before taking Magnus’ offered hand.“Alec Lightwood. Non royal human, I guess?”





	What A Wonderful World

**Author's Note:**

  * For [iwillstayalive](https://archiveofourown.org/users/iwillstayalive/gifts).



> Happy Birthday Carla!! I hope you like it 
> 
> Title from What A Wonderful World (obviously lol)

The sun was just starting to set as Magnus heaved himself up onto a rock by the small, mostly abandoned beach. He smiled as the salty breeze cooled the water against his skin and made his tail glint in the fading sun.

Catarina settled down beside him, folding her head down onto her arms and smiling. Dot was on Magnus’ other side, a mischievous smile spread across her face.

They weren’t supposed to get this close to the humans. Asmodeus, Magnus’ father and king of the sea had banned any interaction with the land a long time ago. But Magnus was never one for following the rules. Especially when being a rebel had the added fun of disobeying his father.

The stretch of beach was one that wasn’t very populated and made it easier for the three of them to hide in plain sight.

The humans who wandered around the small beach never seemed to notice them, and if they did they usually left them alone.

Magnus liked to people watch. He wondered what the humans’ lives were like up on land and the kinds of things they saw. He liked watching children run away from the crash of waves against the shore with nothing but delight on their young faces. He liked watching people watch the sea and wondered what they thought. Whether they were scared of what lay underneath or whether they were just as intrigued as Magnus was of them.

Today the beach was empty. The three of them were later than usual, but this had been the only time they could carve out to come up to the shore.

Dot sighed next to him.

“Well this is a bummer,” she mumbled, playing with a string of seaweed that had stuck to her arm.

Magnus sighed in agreement and flicked his gaze out to the sea instead. The water was reflecting the golds and pinks from the sunset, making the entire ocean look almost purple.

He startled when Cat pushed up onto her hands abruptly and jostled his arm.

“Look,” she said excitedly, pointing at the stretch of beach where a figure was walking down towards the water.

Magnus sent her a grin and settled in to watch the human.

“Guess we spoke a little too soon,” he said contently.

As the figure came closer Magnus found that it was a man. A tall one, with a shock of dark hair and a bucket in his hand. He was rather beautiful, Magnus would admit, with the gold of sunset hitting his profile just right and making his seem like he was glowing.

Magnus watched with rapt attention as the man stopped a few feet away from the water and just stood there a moment. He didn’t look out towards the sea, he kept his eyes downcast at the sand beneath his feet.

Magnus watched curiously as he bent down and picked something up from the ground. He leaned forwards and pushed up on his hands to see more clearly.

The man straightened again and examined the thing in his hand. It was a shell, glinting slightly under the sun and still wet from the tide. Magnus saw the man’s lips turn up into a smile as he curled his fingers over the shell and dropped it into the bucket.

Magnus’ heart skipped a beat and breathed out slowly. Because that smile, despite how small it had been, was _beautiful_.

Magnus flopped back down onto his stomach and dropped his head onto his arms with a sigh. Cat turned to him with a raised eyebrow and smirk and Magnus rolled his eyes at her.

The man was gorgeous. Magnus could appreciate beauty without it meaning anything.

“Shut up,” he muttered and Cat held up her hands in surrender while Dot laughed knowingly on his other side.

He hated both of them.

***

The man was all Magnus could think about the next day.

He was beautiful yes, but he had also seemed gentle. Magnus couldn’t help but feel that he had a soft sort of soul. He wanted to know more about him.

And so he swam back up to the shore as the sun was beginning to set, hoping to see the man with his bucket and soft smile again.

Cat and Dot weren’t with him this time, both busy with their other duties under the sea,  which Magnus was thankful for because they’d never let him hear the end of this.

He settled down on the same rock as the day before and looked out towards the small stretch of beach.

The air was salty and clear, making him smile softly to himself. His smile grew wider when he spotted the man crouched down by the water.

He had on a white tank top that showed off muscles and smooth pale skin that had Magnus biting his lip. In direct contrast, his pants were loose and folded up to just under his knees in a way that Magnus should not have found as endearing as he did.

It seemed that the man had been there long before Magnus had gotten there because his bucket was already full of shells. Magnus watched him smooth his fingers down a purple shell he’d just picked up and then he sat down in the sand.

His hair ruffled and fell over his forehead as a gust of sea salt wind whipped by and it somehow made him look even more beautiful.

He was just sitting at the edge of the water, but Magnus thought he could probably watch him for hours. There was something about him that Magnus felt pulled towards.

There were a few exceedingly peaceful moments in which the man watched the sea and Magnus watched him. The world was quiet, as if was just the two of them with the sea to accompany them.

It was interrupted by a bang and then then two more figures coming out from one of the houses at the edge of the beach.

The first one was a child, probably around ten or eleven years old. And then behind him a woman with long dark hair, the same shade as the man down by the shore.

Magnus watched as the man turned at the noise and the two figures came to join him down by the shore. The child jumped straight into his lap while the woman laughed and looked through the bucket before settling down next to them.

Magnus wondered who they were to the man. They were obviously close. Magnus could see the love they all had for each other in the way laughter bubbled up from their tangle of bodies. Family perhaps. The child was too old to be the man’s. Maybe a sibling or a cousin. The woman looked too much like the man to be his partner, she must be a sibling as well.

Magnus watched the three of them all the way until the sun had completely set and smiled to himself. He’d been right that the man had a soft soul. It was confirmed in the way he and the child watched a crab walk along the beach in wide eyed awe and the smile that stretched across his lips as he stroked the woman’s hair and they watched the sunset over the sea.

The three of them turned to make their way back to the house and Magnus took that as his cue to get back down to his world. He’d been away quite a while now.

He froze right before he dove into the sea though. Because down by the beach the man had turned back towards the sea and he was looking right at Magnus. Magnus felt his breath get caught in his throat as their eyes met for a long second. After a moment, the man smiled and it was blinding, brighter than anything Magnus had ever seen before.

Magnus smiled back and then dove down into the sea before the blush on his cheeks became too obvious.

That night, Magnus found the prettiest shell in the palace gardens and brought it back to his room with a certain someone on his mind.

***

A few days later Magnus ventured back to the beach.

He was stopped by Cat and her daughter Madzie on the way.

Madzie was in awe of the shell in Magnus’ hand and Cat smiled at him teasingly.

“That for someone special?” she asked and Magnus rolled his eyes at her.

“Maybe.”

Cat’s smile turned warm and she smoothed a hand down Magnus’ arm.

“Be careful.”

Magnus smiles back at her and nodded.

“I always am.”

When he made it to the beach he was surprised to find the beach empty. It took him a second until he noticed that the man was sitting on the edge of the decrepit pier. He had his legs dangling over the edge, feet submerged in the water and his eyes closed.

Magnus swam closer, slightly hesitant. He’d watched a lot of humans from afar but he’d never actually interacted with one.

He couldn’t be sure what the man’s reaction to Magnus would be. Human’s were known to be scared of things they didn’t understand. Or at least that’s what his father had always told him.

But the man had seen Magnus last time. He’d looked right at him and he’d smiled that beautiful soft smile. Magnus doubted he’d have done that if he was scared of him.

So, after a moment’s hesitation Magnus swam right up to the pier and folded his arms onto it.

The man opened his eyes and startled when he saw Magnus. His eyes were wide and this close up Magnus could see that they glittered in the sunlight, flecks of gold shining bright.

He stared at Magnus in shock for a long moment in which Magnus held his breath in anticipation. And then he smiled brightly.

“You _glitter_ ,” he said in awe, eyes moving down to where Magnus’ gold tail reflected the sunlight just like the man’s eyes did.

Magnus laughed happily.

“I do,” he agreed.

“So you _are_ real,” he said softly, “I’d convinced myself I’d been seeing things.” 

Magnus looked up at him through his eyelashes and held out a hand.

“Magnus Bane, merman and Prince of the Sea. Nice to meet you.”

Alec raised an eyebrow and let out a breath that sounded like a laugh before taking Magnus’ offered hand.

“Alec Lightwood. Non royal human, I guess?”

Magnus laughed again and kept their hands together longer than would be considered normal. Alec didn’t seem to mind, his eyes were warm and happy.

When Magnus pulled away he even seemed a bit disappointed.

Magnus grinned and reached down to pull out the shell he’d picked the night after Alec had smiled at him. He held it out in his palm and offered it to Alec.

“I noticed you like to collect shells.”

Alec looked down at the shell and then up into Magnus eyes and Magnus’ breath left his lungs for a split second at the look in his eyes.

“It’s beautiful,” he breathed, taking the shell and running his fingers softly over it, “thank you.”

“What do you do with them?” Magnus asked curiously. He’d seen Alec take the bucket full of shells back into the house both times he’d seen him.

“My sister uses them to make jewelry. She has a business in town,” so Magnus had been right about the woman being his sister. Alec seemed to light up as he talked about her.

“She’s really good but she’s so busy dealing with customers and actually making the jewelry that she doesn’t have much time to go collect the shells. I offered to do it for her.”

He spoke with his hands and Magnus found himself lost in the deep sound of his voice as he talked.

“After the first time I realized how much I loved it. It’s calming to just have a moment to myself. Just me and the sea you know?”

Magnus nodded, “I’m not bothering you am I?” He asked, suddenly aware that he was probably interrupting time Alec had meant to spend alone.

Alec folded his legs and moved to lie down next to where Magnus had his head pillowed on his arms.

“No, I like your company.”

***

After that Magnus accompanied Alec on his seashell hunting evenings almost every day. Magnus would bring him the best shells he could find from under the sea and then watch as he collected the rest from the beach.

When he was done, Alec would join Magnus on one of the rocks near the pier and they’d watch the sunset over the water, their voices and the crash of waves the only sounds in the little world of calm they’d created for themselves.

Magnus could feel himself falling. It was hard not to, what with Alec’s small smiles and the way he stuttered adorably anytime Magnus made any allusion to how beautiful or wonderful he was.

He learned Alec had just recently moved to the small seaside town with his siblings and that he worked as a teacher at the school during the day.

In turn, Magnus had told Alec about his underwater adventures with Cat and Dot during their youth and how they still got up to trouble even now. He told him about Madzie, musing that she and Alec would probably get along splendidly. He even described the palace which Alec listened to with bright awe filled eyes.

On one such day Alec showed up to the beach with his hands hidden behind his back and a giddy smile on his face.

Magnus pushed his lips together to hide the fond smile that threatened to grow on his face as Alec made his way to the water.

“Evening Alexander,” Magnus greeted, anticipation pooling in his chest.

“Hi,” Alec answered breathlessly and Magnus smiled warmly at him. Whatever he had hidden behind his back, he was obviously nervous about it and Magnus wanted to ease some of his nerves if he could.

Alec took a deep breath and then he held out what had been hidden behind his back.

“For you,” he said quietly, looking at Magnus through his lashes and blushing deeply.

In his hand, held by careful fingers, was a red flower. Magnus felt a punch of utter adoration for this man who brought him a _flower_ and was looking at him hopefully, as if he wasn’t sure Magnus would like it. As if he could dislike _anything_ Alec gave him.

Magnus shook his head and took the flower from Alec’s hand, their fingers brushing for a charged second.

“It’s um, it’s an amaryllis. I don’t think you have those in the sea,” Alec said, his now empty hand moving to muss up the hair at the back of his head in what seemed to be a nervous habit.

Magnus reached up to grab his arm and ran his fingers down until he reached his hand and tangled their fingers together. Alec seemed to be holding his breath when Magnus looked up at him.

“Thank you, Alexander,” he said quietly, “I love it.”

Alec’s eyes lit up, sending a warm feeling into Magnus chest. He was so utterly gone for Alec, and Alec didn’t even _know_.

“You’re always getting me the most beautiful shells, I wanted to give you something. Because you deserve it,” Alec said, eyes not leaving Magnus’ as he spoke.

Alec always spoke with intent and looked at Magnus with such intensity that he almost had to look away.

Magnus leaned forwards without thinking about it and pressed his lips to Alec’s cheek. When he pulled back and settled against the sand, Alec was staring at him frozen, cheeks flushed and lips parted in surprise.

Magnus twirled the stem of the flower between his fingers and smiled to himself. Maybe, just maybe he wasn’t the only one that was falling.

Magnus watched fondly as Alec’s hand hovered over his cheek for a moment and then he moved to sit down next to where Magnus was perched in the sand.

He moved close enough that the waves lapped over his feet and up his ankles and they sat in silence for a few moments before Alec’s eyes widened.

“Oh my god,” he muttered and Magnus turned to him questioningly.

“What?”

“The flower,” Alec said, “it’s not going to last underwater where you live. Why didn’t I think of that before I gave it to you?”

Alec groaned and fell onto his back dramatically, making Magnus laugh in surprise.

“Alexander,” he soothed, running a hand down his shoulder, “I can waterproof it.”

Magnus punctuated his sentence with a snap of his fingers, using a bit more flair than he normally would because it made Alec’s eyes widen and awe.

Magnus held up the flower, dipping it into the water and then back out again. It stayed completely dry and Alec gasped.

“Ta da,” Magnus said with a small laugh.

“You’re magical,” Alec breathed, “literally magical.”

Yes. Magnus was definitely falling.

***

The next day when Magnus went to visit Alec, his sister was with him.

Up close Magnus could tell that they were definitely related. For one, she was gorgeous, just like her brother, high cheekbones and a smile that could light up a room. She talked more than Alec but with the same softness and she obviously loved Alec fiercely. Magnus liked her instantly.

“So you’re the guy Alec hasn’t been able to shut up about the past few weeks,” she said, sending Alec a mischievous look that reminded Magnus of how Cat looked at him when she embarrassed him on purpose.

Alec groaned and hid his face in his hands, “shut up Iz,” he muttered and his sister laughed delightedly.

She held out a hand to Magnus.

“I’m Isabelle, Alec’s little sister.”

Magnus took her hand and smiled brightly. If she was shocked about the fact that Magnus was a merman, she didn’t show it. He supposed Alec hadn’t been all that phased by it either when they’d first talked.

“The jewelry maker,” Magnus said, “I've heard quite a lot about you.”

Isabelle grinned and threw a look over her shoulder at Alec who was still half hiding behind his hands and looked as if he was very much regretting bringing Isabelle out with him.

“Only good things I hope?”

Magnus matched her smirk and Alec sighed.

“The two of you together was such a bad idea,” he groaned before moving to join them by the water.

Magnus laughed and splashed Alec teasingly using his tail.

Of course, that spiraled into an all out water fight that ended up with both Lightwoods soaked and Magnus laughing so hard he could barely breathe.

Alec’s eyelashes had drops of water clinging to them and his lips were turned up into a breathtaking smile.

Magnus wanted to kiss him with everything in him. Isabelle was still here though so Magnus filed the thought away.

One day.

***

A few days later Alec showed up to the beach with his hands hidden behind his back again.

Magnus grinned and looked up at him excitedly.

“What you got there?” He asked softly.

Alec sat down next to him cross legged and sent him a sweet smile.

He pulled his hands out and in them there was a chain strung with beads. In the center there was a single seashell. Magnus let out a surprised breath when he realized that it was the first shell he’d given Alec back when they’d first met.

Alec’s cheeks were flushed but he wasn’t as nervous as he’d been when he’d given Magnus the flower.

“When you first gave me that shell I didn’t have the heart to give it to Izzy. I kept it in my room by my bedside. It reminded me of you and always made me smile,” Alec looked at Magnus and bit his lip against a bashful smile that had Magnus’ heart beating faster in his chest, “but then a few days ago Izzy was making jewelry and I asked her to help teach me and I made this for you.”

It was touching, so much so that Magnus had to blink a few times to make sure he wasn’t actually crying. He’d never been given a homemade gift before. Let alone one given with so much thought.

“Thank you, Alexander,” he whispered and Alec ducked his head bashfully.

“Can I put it on you?”

Magnus didn’t trust his voice not to shake if he spoke so he just nodded. Something was happening here. Something important. He could feel it in Alec’s intense gaze and the electricity zinging underneath his skin.

Alec’s fingers were soft pinpricks of warmth along his neck and collarbone as he fastened the necklace around his neck and then smoothed it down his bare chest. Magnus fought the urge to shiver.

“You’re beautiful,” Alec whispered, fingers still warm against his chest.

He was close, _so close_.

Magnus found his hands sliding up Alec’s arms and to his neck. His fingers brushed the hair at the nape of his neck and Alec’s lips parted.

“Magnus,” he murmured, ducking even closer.

Magnus didn’t spend another moment thinking about it. He surged up and slotted their lips together.

Alec gasped softly and then returned the kiss, fingers curling over Magnus’ chest.

The kiss was sweet, Alec’s lips soft against Magnus’. Magnus found himself smiling into it against his will.

When they pulled apart Alec stayed close, resting his forehead against Magnus’.

“Wow,” he breathed and Magnus chucked fondly.

Yes. He was utterly and completely gone for Alec Lightwood, non royal human.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed!! 
> 
> (Btw an amaryllis signifies radiant beauty so basically Alec is a sap) 
> 
> Comments and Kudos are appreciated always!! 
> 
> Tumblr: [lightwormsiblings](https://lightwormsiblings.tumblr.com)  
> Twitter: [alistoney1](https://mobile.twitter.com/alistoney1)


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